EWOKS AND DROIDS ADVENTURE HOUR: THE CRIES OF THE TREES / THE WHITE WITCH {SERIES PREMIERES} (TV)
Summary
A programming block containing the premieres of two animated series based on the "Star Wars" film series, one, "Ewoks," centered on the Ewoks of Endor and another, "Droids" following the adventures of the droids C-3PO and R2-D2. In the "Ewoks" episode "Cries of the Trees," Izrina, queen of the fairy-like Wisties (or "firefolk," as the Ewoks call them), is captured by the Tulgah witch Morag, who plans to use her in a scheme to get revenge on the Ewoks. Logray, the Ewok shaman, and Chirpa, the chief, create magic fire-retardant foam the next day to prepare for the possibility of a forest fire due to the recent lack of rain. Wicket keeps inadvertently causing trouble for his aunt Bozzie. His antics are interrupted by the arrival of Paploo, who convinces Wicket and his friend Teebo to join him for a game of "drop the sack," which has been forbidden by the Ewok elders. Meanwhile, Morag prepares to enact her sinister plot against the Ewoks. She explains to the Dulok shaman Umwak that she and Logray have some sort of history with each other. She casts a spell transforming Izrina into a literal "firefolk." When Wicket, Teebo, and Paploo are caught playing "drop the sack," and Paploo's lies are not sufficient to escape punishment. Morag releases Izrina, who spreads the spell to the other Wisties. They are then unleashed on the forest, where they ignite the trees and cause a massive forest fire. Wicket, Paploo, and Teebo witness a small fire being set by one of the Wisties and try to put it out, aided by last-minute help from Chirpa. Chirpa does not believe their story and they are sentenced to remain at a remote outpost for a few days. While there, the three of them all share a nightmare, which they interpret as the trees themselves calling out to them in pain. They witness the approaching forest fire and rush to warn the rest of the village, currently in the midst of a coming-of-age ceremony for several of its children. On the way, Wicket encounters Izrina and frees her from the spell with a splash of water. The Ewoks respond to the fire and mobilize efforts to put out the blaze. Morag stymies their efforts by damming the river. Logray brings his magic foam and launches it into the fire via a catapult, and it seems to be effective. Morag has the Wisties destroy the catapult, forcing Wicket and several others to take to the sky, guided by Izrina and the other freed Wisties to deliver the magic foam from above. During all this, Bozzie becomes panicked that the sacred Soul Trees may fall victim to the blaze, and Wicket is forced to save her when she rushes out to fight the fire herself. Morag retreats to her lair, her plans ruined. It begins to rain for the first time in months, which will allow the forest to replenish itself. The "Droids" episode "The White Witch" begins as C-3PO and R2-D2 are unceremoniously dumped on the desert planet Ingo by their latest master, a smuggler. They soon encounter a pair of speeder racers, Thall Joben and Jord Dusat, who agree to take them in. They drive their speeders through a restricted zone and are attacked by homing mines. They manage to avoid falling victim to the mines, although Jord's speeder is destroyed in the process. A mysterious woman watching from afar covertly saves C-3PO from an attacking droid. Unbeknownst to them, they are being monitored by Tig Fromm, son of the legendary gangster Sise Fromm. Tig is constructing a superweapon called "Trigon One" in his secret base on Ingo to help him take over competing interplanetary gangs, and has surrounded himself with droid-based security to deter trespassers. Thall and Jord take C-3PO and R2-D2 back to their garage, where they reveal their prized possession: a custom landspeeder called "the White Witch," which they have spent years designing building from scratch. They hope one day to leave Ingo and enter the White Witch in the Boonta speeder race. C-3PO and R2-D2 leave with Thall for the night, but Jord finds himself cornered at the garage by several of Tig's security droids. Thall, realizing that he is being followed, goes back to warn Jord but it is too late: he finds the garage has been ruined and Jord is missing. The mysterious woman from earlier arrives and reveals that her name is Kea Moll. More droids arrive to attack them and Thall manages to get Kea, C-3PO and R2-D2 away in the White Witch. Kea takes Thall, C-3PO and R2-D2 to the outskirts of Tig's secret base. R2-D2 manages to find a way to sneak into the base via underground service tunnels. Thall drives the White Witch through the tunnels, hoping to free Jord from his detention cell. Meanwhile, Jord is brought before Tig, who rejects the "ancient ways" of his father's gang, hoping to use technology to grant himself an edge in the gang wars. He decides not to let Jord leave, deciding that he knows too much about his operation. Thall comes across a closed door and reveals that he has a lightsaber accidentally left to him by a client who never returned for his repair job, using it to cut down the door. Kea and C-3PO manipulate the base's tunnel traffic computer to allow Thall to drive through without interference. C-3PO's quick thinking saves himself and Kea from capture after the arrival of several maintenance droids, and then he accidentally saves Thall from a closing security gate. Thall finds Jord and frees him from his bonds. Tig discovers this and tries to deploy his droids in an ambush, but C-3PO manages to stall them. Everyone piles into the White Witch, only to be stopped at the base entrance by droid cruisers. C-3PO is able to cause the security droids to battle the droid cruisers, and in all the confusion the White Witch is able to escape. The episode ends as Kea transports Thall, Jord, C-3PO, R2-D2, and the White Witch off-planet in her ship. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 7, 1985 9:00 AM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:56
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:06292
- GENRE: Animation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1985-1986
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal
- TV – Commercials – Corn Pops breakfast cereal
- TV – Commercials – Crystal Castle action figure accessory
- TV – Commercials – Fig Newtons snacks
- TV – Commercials – Hug-a-Bunch dolls
- TV – Commercials – Masters of the Universe action figures
- TV – Commercials – McDonald's restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Nestle Quik chocolate milk
- TV – Commercials – Nike shoes
- TV – Commercials – OJ's breakfast cereal
- TV – Commercials – Oreo cookies
- TV – Commercials – Rainbow Brite dolls
- TV – Promos – "ABC Afternoon Special: No Greater Gift"
- TV – Promos – "The Littles"
- TV – Promos – "The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians"
- TV – Promos – "The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby-Doo"
- TV – Promos – "Webster"
- TV – Promos – "Who's the Boss?"
CREDITS
- For "Ewoks: The Cries of the Trees"
- Miki Herman … Executive Producer
- Lenora Hume … Supervising Producer
- Michael Hirsh … Producer
- Patrick Loubert … Producer
- Clive A. Smith … Producer
- Paul Dini … Associate Producer, Writer
- Peter Sauder … Associate Producer
- Raymond Jafelice … Director
- Charlie Bonifacio … Animation Director
- Wendy Perdue … Animation Director
- George Lucas … Based on characters created by
- Patricia Cullen … Music by
- David Shaw … Music by
- Taj Mahal … Theme Music by
- Inshira Mahal … Theme Music by
- Jim Henshaw … Voice, Wicket
- Cree Summer Francks (See also: Cree Summer) … Voice, Kneesaa
- Jackie Burroughs … Voice, Morag
- George Buza … Voice, Chirpa
- Doug Chamberlain … Voice, Logray
- Alyson Court … Voice, Malani
- Don Francks … Voice, Umwak
- Pam Hyatt … Voice, Bozzie
- Taborah Johnson … Voice, Latara
- Eric Peterson … Voice, Teebo
- John Stocker … Voice, Widdle
- Greg Swanson … Voice, Weechee
- For "Droids: The White Witch"
- Miki Herman … Executive Producer
- Lenora Hume … Supervising Producer
- Michael Hirsh … Producer
- Patrick Loubert … Producer
- Clive A. Smith … Producer
- Peter Sauder … Associate Producer, Writer
- Paul Dini … Associate Producer
- Ken Stephenson … Director
- Rob Kirkpatrick … Voice Direction
- John Laurence Collins … Animation Director
- Mike Fallows … Animation Direction
- Gord Stanfield … Animation Director
- George Lucas … Based on characters created by
- Patricia Cullen … Music by
- David Shaw … Music by
- Stewart Copeland … Theme Music by
- Derek Holt … Theme Music by
- Anthony Daniels … Voice, C-3PO
- Rob Cowen … Voice, Thall Juben
- Peter MacNeill … Voice, Jord Dusat
- Winston Rekert … Voice, Tig Fromm
- John Stockard … Voice, Vlix Oncard
- Lesleh Donaldson … Voice, Kea Moll